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Two pressures are measured for a blood pressure reading 1  : Systolic blood pressure is a measure of blood pressure while the heart is beating. 2  Diastolic pressure is a measure of blood pressure while the heart is relaxed.
1 Systolic pressure denotes the maximum pressure along the blood vessels when the heart is contracting, whereas diastolic pressure indicates the minimum pressure along the blood vessels when the heart is relaxed. 2  There are four chambers of the heart: right and left atrium and right and left ventricles.